Harry's and Ginny's Sick Week
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Just a meaningless fluffy drabble of Ginny caring for Harry and vice versa! Could play in any Hogwarts year. From Ginny's POV, sick!Harry, later sick!Ginny.


**Harry's and Ginny's Sick Week**

It was just a normal evening at Hogwarts, and Ginny was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, watching the golden trio do their Transfiguration homework. Well, in fact it was Harry, whom she was watching, longing to get his attention even if only for a short moment. '_Tonight, Harry seems different_,' she mused, giving the older boy a piercing look. '_He also seems unfocused. Maybe he is thinking of someone. But if that someone was me, he'd surely look at me_.' She slowly turned a page of the book she was pretending to be reading before she continued watching the most attractive person within the magical world – at least in her opinion.

'_Somehow he looks strange tonight. Is it only the light of the fireplace, or are his cheeks as red as they seem?_' she wondered, suddenly noticing that small pearls of sweat were covering his forehead. '_Is he ill?_'

"Harry, are you here?" she heard Hermione's impatient voice between the laughter of the other students around her.

Harry's reply was only mumbled. "Sorry, Mione, I'm a bit tired tonight." He cleared his throat and continued slightly hoarsely, "I think I'm going to bed. Good night."

Ginny watched as her object of attention slowly walked up the stairs to his dormitory, keeping close to the wall and sometimes unobtrusively putting a hand against the wall, obviously to steady himself. She didn't hesitate but quickly followed the boy, catching up with him just when he reached the door to his dormitory.

"Come here, sweetie, hold on to me," she offered gently, glad when he took the offer, letting her guide him over to his bed. She helped him take off his robes and his clothes down to his boxer shorts, before she said, "Change to your pyjamas; I'm going to look in the other direction."

Two minutes later, a hoarse "It's all right," penetrated her ear, and she slowly turned to the boy, who was lying down in his bed.

Ginny reached out and carefully pulled his bed covers up over his shoulders, gently tucking him in. '_His cheeks are flushed, and his eyes are dull and glassy. Plus, the sweat is already beginning to drip down from his temples_,' she observed. '_He is definitely ill_.'

"How are you feeling, sweetie? What's wrong with you?" she asked in a soft voice, gently taking his hot hand in her own cold hand, gasping at the heat she felt.

"My head and my throat are sore. It's just a little cold; I'll be fine," Harry croaked tiredly, averting his eyes to her smiling face.

Ginny worriedly pried her hand out of Harry's strong grip and hesitantly extended it to feel the boy's forehead, pulling it away quickly. "You are very hot, Harry. Stay awake for a moment, so that I can fetch a thermometer from the bathroom and take your temperature."

She quickly conjured a cool cloth and soothingly bathed his hot face, before she carefully adjusted the cloth on his burning forehead, making Harry sigh in relief, while she went to fetch the thermometer. A minute later, she sat next to the boy on his bed, carefully lifting his head onto her lap. "Can you open your mouth just for a little moment, Harry?" she asked softly, sticking the glassy thing under his tongue with gentle hands, noticing that the boy began to shiver vehemently when the icy cold thing touched his hot mouth.

"It's all right, sweetie, it'll be over in a blink," she told him, soothingly caressing his hot cheeks.

"Ye," Harry mumbled miserably around the thermometer, nestling deeper into her robes.

"Ah well done," Ginny commended the boy, finally taking out the thermometer, before she frowned and softly told him, "It's 39.3, Harry, that's quite a fever. Shall I call Madam Pomfrey for you?"

"No, please don't; can you stay with me?" Harry croaked, giving her a helpless glance.

"Yes of course, I will stay with you, but let me try to check what exactly is wrong, and then I'll send my brothers to nick a few potions from the hospital wing." She made Harry lie down on his pillows once more and sat down on the edge of his bed, before she lit the tip of her wand and closely examined his mouth. "Yes, sweetie, your throat seems very red and infected. Does anything else hurt?"

"No, only my head and eyes," Harry whispered, shivering badly.

"I will quickly talk to my brothers, I'll be back in a minute," Ginny told him, quickly leaving the room.

Shortly later, the twins entered the dormitory, handing her sister a few potion phials. "Hey, sweetie, I need you to sit up a bit and drink a fever reducer and a pain relieving potion for me," she instructed the boy, gently lifting his head just a little bit. "Very good, Harry, now try to sleep for a while. I'm going to stay here with you for the whole night," she promised, soothingly stroking Harry's hot cheeks.

Harry moved a bit to the side to make space for Ginny. "Lie down and sleep too, Ginny. Thanks for staying with me," he whispered hoarsely, looking as if he still felt absolutely horrible in spite of the potions.

Ginny carefully closed the curtains around Harry's bed and lay down next to her patient, who pulled her in a light embrace. She gently readjusted the cloth on his forehead and kissed his cheek, noticing that his breathing evened out after a few seconds. '_I should get some sleep too while I can. Maybe he'll get worse during the night, so that I'll have to stay up_,' she mused, closing her eyes as well.

Feeling extremely hot due to the heat Harry radiated, Ginny woke up every now and then. She carefully felt his forehead frequently, worrying because it seemed to get warmer each time she applied her hand. Finally, she became too concerned and carefully pulled his pyjamas down over his shoulder, so that she could stick the thermometer under his armpit. To her great relief, Harry didn't even stir at the cold touch. Feeling very apprehensive now, she had the impression as if she had to wait for an endless time until the thermometer finally beeped. Very gently, she pulled the thing out in order not to wake the boy, relieved when she succeeded.

As soon as she threw a look at the glassy thing, all relief vanished in the blink of an eye. _'41.3_,' she read horrified. '_I have to call Madam Pomfrey immediately_.' She quickly got up, threw her robes over, and ran to the hospital wing as fast as she could, calling Madam Pomfrey in a loud voice.

When she stood behind the Healer, who was waving her wand at the boy, Ginny thought sadly, '_Now I won't see him for a week or so; Madam Pomfrey will certainly take him with her and won't allow any visitors if he's so ill_.'

However, a few minutes later, Poppy asked her, "Why did you notice that he's having such a fever at that time of the night, Ms. Weasley?"

"He had a bit of a fever in the evening, and I was worried, so I stayed with him," Ginny admitted in a small voice.

"Mr. Potter has caught the wizard's chicken pox, which is much worse than the Muggle version of the illness and very conterminous for people, who touch someone infected with it. Have you had wizard's chicken pox before, Ms. Weasley?"

"No," Ginny replied, shocked. "I know that Ron and Hermione caught it last year in the summer, but I didn't get it that time."

"In that case, you have to accompany him to the hospital wing for at least a week," Madam Pomfrey told the girl sternly.

"May I stay together with Harry and help you care for him?" Ginny asked on their way to the hospital wing.

"Yes, you may; I will put the two of you in a small extra room anyway. I don't want other students to get the pox," the Healer replied determinedly.

'_A whole week together with him in a room just for the two of us_,' Ginny mused gratefully, feeling extremely happy at the thought.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

During the next two days, Ginny spent day and night at Harry's bedside, cuddling with him, bathing his burning face, and adjusting the healing cream to the red spots on his skin every now and then. Only when Madam Pomfrey forced her to lie down and sleep, she went to bed, knowing that she would have enough time to sleep when she became ill, which seemed to be inevitable.

On the third day in their room in the hospital wing, Ginny woke up with a sore throat. '_Well, it has started_,' she thought, feeling very annoyed, and decided not to tell the healer about it yet. '_She will know when she checks on me tonight anyway_,' she thought, knowing that Poppy checked on her twice a day, and took her normal spot on the edge of Harry's bed.

When she threw a curious look on the card with Harry's data on the night table, seeing that his temperature apparently had come down to 39 degrees, she noticed a note for her from Madam Pomfrey.

"_Dear Ms. Weasley_," it said, "_I have to leave for St. Mungo's for a training course, and I won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. Please continue to look after Mr. Potter like you did so well during the last three days, and don't forget to give him his potions on time. If you encounter any problems or feel sick yourself, please contact Professor Snape. P. Pomfrey_."

Ginny groaned inwardly. '_No, I will not go to the greasy git. I can just take the same potions as Harry, and I'll be fine. It's not so bad yet anyway_.' She put the letter away, sighing, and turned to Harry, noticing that his eyes were open and he was watching her in concern.

"How do you feel, sweetie?" she asked, taking in that his cheeks were still flushed feverishly.

"I feel much better, but you don't look well today," Harry replied, averting his glassy green eyes to her brown eyes. "Your eyes are dull and glassy without their normal sparkle, and you look very pale," he observed.

'_He still sounds quite hoarse_,' she thought, asking, "Is your throat still sore, Harry?"

"Yes," Harry mumbled and croaked, "I don't know if Madam Pomfrey told you, but she's away until tomorrow evening. She told me to look after you in case you fell ill, or we had to call Snape."

"I know; she wrote me a message," Ginny replied, noticing that her voice was becoming hoarse as well. "All right, sweetie, let me take your temperature." Harry obediently opened his mouth and took in the thermometer, still worriedly glancing at the girl, who used the time while they were waiting for the reading to wipe his flushed and sweaty face with a cold cloth.

"38.8, Harry, that's a huge improvement," she said relieved, placing the thermometer back on the night table, before she helped the boy to sit up, so that he could take his potions. Remembering that Madam Pomfrey had told her before that they would begin to replace the nutrient potions with real food as soon as his temperature fell below 39 degrees, she quickly called a house elf and ordered chicken broth for her friend, which she slowly spooned into Harry's mouth, who obediently swallowed a few spoons full. Finally, she put the healing salve on all his red spots that were spread all over his body. Seeing that Harry flinched uncomfortably, when she pulled down his boxer shorts, she said calmingly, "Harry, it's all right; I've done that several times during the last days, so calm down."

"By the way," she told him after tucking him in again carefully, "I told Madam Pomfrey that I want to become a healer, and she promised to teach me, so that I can assist her, for example while she is away at St. Mungo's, and after I take my OWLs I can become her apprentice if I still want to."

"That's great news," Harry replied, giving her a happy smile, only to add, "Ginny, lie down next to me for a moment please."

Ginny curiously complied, beginning to shiver vehemently when she suddenly felt something slightly cool on her forehead. "What...?"

"Shush, it's all right, sweetie, don't talk now. I think you're ill, too. Is it all right if I take your temperature?"

Ginny suddenly had the impression as if all her power was leaving her at once. She gave him a weary nod and cuddled close to his warm body, craving the warmth. She didn't even notice that he reached over her to the night table to retrieve the thermometer. Like from far away, she could hear his voice ordering her to open her mouth, and she tried to comply, but she just couldn't make her teeth stop chattering. "I cannot take your temperature with your teeth chattering so much; I will take it the other way," she could hear Harry, but unable to understand what he meant she just snuggled into his arm, wearily noticing that he pulled her pyjamas down over her shoulder and stuck the thermometer under her armpit.

'_I have to take care of him, he is the one who's ill_,' Ginny thought wearily, while she was snuggling under his covers, leaning into his warm embrace. She couldn't remember having felt so horrible ever before and just lay there, letting the boy care for her. Even when pulled the thermometer out and let out a huge gasp stating "41.5," she couldn't care enough to show any reaction. She didn't even notice that Harry carefully got up as not to disturb her and fetched some potions for her from the shelf, where Madam Pomfrey had stored many of the phials he had to take regularly.

Only when she felt herself being pulled up a bit and heard Harry's voice, "You need to swallow three potions for me, sweetie," Ginny hesitantly opened her eyes just a little bit, swallowing obediently. As soon as she felt him help her lie down again, she snuggled into the covers, not even caring when the boy undressed her completely to apply the healing salve. '_His hands are so gentle_,' she thought, gratefully leaning into the cool touch, while she dove into fever induced dreams.

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Ginny's mind turned back to consciousness to two voices just next to her. "Mr. Potter, under no circumstances can Ms. Weasley stay in your bed with you," she heard the stern voice of her head of house.

"Professor, we are both ill. I can take care of her when she's here with me, which I have to do according to Madam Pomfrey's orders, but I still have a high fever myself and am not able to get up for a longer time. Please let her stay here with me until Madam Pomfrey comes back," Harry's hoarse voice penetrated her ear.

"Are you sure that you're able to care for both of you, Mr. Potter? I will come and look after you whenever I can of course, and if you need me to do something for you, you just have to tell me," the professor replied, her voice sounding much gentler now.

"Thanks, Pfessor," Ginny mumbled hoarsely.

"Hey sweetie, you're awake. How do you feel?" Harry asked softly.

Ginny lazily opened her eyes only to close them again immediately, feeling that the light hurt her eyes. "Horrible," she croaked.

"Seeing that it's already four hours ago that you took your own temperature, Mr. Potter, I suggest that we take your temperature now," Minerva told the boy strictly and stuck the thermometer under his tongue, before she conjured a second thermometer and gently ordered Ginny to open her mouth. "40.2," she said reproachfully, taking out Harry's thermometer first. "What have you been doing during the last four hours to make your fever go up so much?"

"Nothing really," Harry replied. "Most of the time I was bathing Ginny's face and body with a cool cloth, seeing that her fever was so extremely high."

"And still is," the teacher replied sighing. "However, it's down to 41.0, thanks to your treatment, Mr. Potter. I will give you the potions now and apply the healing salve to both of you, and then I want you to sleep. I will come back to look after you in a few hours."

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A few hours later, Ginny woke up when cold hands touched her naked shoulder to stick an icy stick under her armpit. "Harry, how do you feel?" she asked tiredly, getting slightly worried, when she didn't receive a reply. She carefully turned to her side and opened her eyed just a little bit, seeing that Harry couldn't speak since he was taking his own temperature at the same time.

He sighed around the thermometer and leaned over her to readjust her thermometer before he let himself fall back into his pillow. "I love you, sweetie," Ginny mumbled hoarsely, carefully extending her free hand to stroke his cheek.

"Sorry, Ginny, I feel much better," Harry finally replied, glancing at the display of his thermometer. "And my fever is down to 38.2," he added calmingly, before he carefully took her thermometer back. "Still 40.8," he told her, putting the thermometer away, and leaned over to her, placing a soft kiss on her lips, before he carefully began to wipe her hot face with a cloth that Minerva had charmed to stay cool.

'_His eyes aren't so glassy anymore, although if his cheeks are still flushed_,' Ginny observed, feeling sorry that she had been unable to care for the boy during the last day. She gratefully swallowed when Harry held a glass with ice-cold water to her lips and sighed in relief when she felt that it soothed her sore throat, even if only for a short while.

"Relax, Ginny; everything is all right. It will take another day, and then you'll feel much better," Harry's gentle voice penetrated her ear, and she hesitantly opened her aching eyes just a little bit to throw the man she adored so much a small smile.

"I love you too, Ginny," Harry told her in a soft voice, placing another kiss on her cheek, before he added, "And I'm glad that we can spend a week here together, just you and me."

**The End**

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I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __Mrs. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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